Coronavirus: World must prepare for pandemic, says WHO  

But the UN health body says the coronavirus outbreak does not yet meet the criteria for a pandemic.

Delta offers free rebooking for travel to parts of Italy   40%

Delta Air Lines Inc on Tuesday added airports in Bologna, Milan and Venice to a growing list of cities that are eligible for free flight rebooking as coronavirus cases spread beyond China.

Fear factor: Global markets in turmoil as pandemic looms   25%

It is becoming clear to investors that the economic effects of the coronavirus are going to be deeper, more widespread and more persistent than anticipated.

Iran's Deputy Health Minister, Tehran Lawmaker Hit By Coronavirus   22%

Iran’s deputy health minister and a reformist politician have reported they have tested positive for the new coronavirus as the crisis over the outbreak continued to mount in the country.

Jamie Dimon had a dream that coronavirus killed Davos attendees   -20%

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon made a joke Tuesday about the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Can a coronavirus pandemic even be stopped? US warns of 'severe' disruptions   12%

"Disruption to everyday life may be severe" and impact schools and jobs, a CDC expert says of the coronavirus becoming a pandemic.

The race to find the wildlife source   -20%

From animals to humans, how did the deadly coronavirus make the leap? We look at the scientific evidence.

Imports, packages from China significantly delayed by coronavirus: Importers   9%

Chinese imports and packages have become significantly delayed, leaving businesses and consumers with potentially no supplies in the future as the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, originating from China,

Iran flights halted as coronavirus spreads across Middle East  

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, said Tuesday that the United Arab Emirates is limiting flights to Iran over the outbreak of the new coronavirus, just a day after it spread across multiple Middle East nations from the Islamic Republic.The airport’s announcement came after Bahrain said it would suspend all flights from Dubai and Sharjah for 48 hours over the virus as an infected passenger transited Dubai to the island nation.The airport said that “all…

Iran may have many more coronavirus cases than reported, Canadian research suggests   40%

A spokesperson for Iran’s health ministry said Tuesday that the country had 95 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 15 deaths.

China encourages citizens to return to work as coronavirus hits economy   4%

Authorities are caught between urgent need to restart economy and efforts to contain virus

• Coronavirus outbreak – live updates

The Chinese authorities are trying to usher the country back to work, a month after announcing the unprecedented quarantine of millions of people. But they face a difficult balancing act between containing the virus and supporting a faltering economy.

Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak, have been the focus of disease prevention efforts. over the last four weeks. As the death toll climbed to more than 2,000 worldwide, and infections to over 75,000, the vast majority of cases were still inside that quarantined zone.

Coronavirus in Hong Kong: MTR Corps passenger numbers plummet amid outbreak   6%

Hong Kong’s coronavirus outbreak has brought a steep fall in January passenger numbers for a city rail operator already battered by months of anti-government unrest, with observers warning of even more hard times ahead.According to the latest figures from the MTR Corporation, ridership on domestic services was 116.5 million in January, down 21 per cent year on year.Its high-speed link to mainland China recorded the biggest drop in traveller numbers – down almost 40 per cent to 1.05 million,…

Turkish lira slides on coronavirus, Syria worries   25%

The Turkish lira weakened Monday by 0.7% as investor unease about the conflict in neighbouring Syria was amplified by a global flight to safe havens in the face of the coronavirus spread.

Coronavirus: China urged to delay purchase elements of US trade deal as outbreak rocks economy  

Beijing should request a delay in the purchase agreement element of its phase one trade deal with the United States, senior Chinese economists have said, due to the strain on its economy caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak.In an article published on Monday, Xu Qiyuan, a researcher at the China Finance 40 Forum, a group of state economists, said that the US$200 billion of purchases China agreed to make in addition to its 2017 import levels “may be affected as the outbreak has weighed on the…

Spreading coronavirus affects BTS shows, halts Mission: Impossible shoot   -22%

The entertainment world is hitting pause on and changing plans for a variety of events — from upcoming film shoots for the next Mission: Impossible to promotional appearances by K-pop superstars BTS — as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread globally.

Digital tax back in the spotlight among G-20 ministers  

USDA aide: China deal implementation on track — EU downplays trade deficit concerns

IOC member casts doubt on postponing or moving Tokyo Games   -10%

A senior member of the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday that if it proves too dangerous to hold the Olympics in Tokyo this summer because of the coronavirus outbreak, organizers … Click to Continue »

U.S. health officials raise alarm about likely local spread of coronavirus  

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday alerted Americans to begin preparing for the spread of coronavirus in the United States after the flu-like virus surfaced in several more countries.

Wall Street plunges as coronavirus spread sends investors fleeing   2%

Wall Street's three major stock indexes fell 3% on Tuesday as the coronavirus spread further around the world and investors clamored for safety a day after the S&P 500's and the Dow Industrials' biggest daily declines in two years.

Drones. Disinfecting robots. Supercomputers. The coronavirus is a test for China's tech industry   -3%

China has spent decades nurturing its tech sector. Now, faced with a massive public health crisis, Beijing is pushing its tech companies to join the fight against the novel coronavirus.

CDC raises South Korea travel advisory to highest level as coronavirus cases surge globally  

U.S. health officials warned Americans to avoid all nonessential travel to South Korea as the country grappled with a wave of new infections.

A faulty CDC coronavirus test delays monitoring of diseases spread   -16%

Experts fear the small number of U.S. covid-19 cases reflects limited testing rather than a lack of infections.

Coronavirus fears spread across globe   6%

Coronavirus cases surge in Italy, Iran and South Korea, with the global death toll at 2,698. Follow here for live updates.

Health official gets virus. Watch video of him a day before.   22%

New outbreaks of the novel coronavirus are popping up in countries that aren't equipped to handle an outbreak, with Iran emerging as a regional breeding ground for the virus. Iran's deputy health minister tested positive for the virus 24 hours after appearing ill during an event.

Coronavirus: Drone captures massive queue for masks in South Korea  

Hundreds queued at a supermarket in Daegu, one of the South Korean epicentres of the virus outbreak.

Coronavirus: South Korea in crisis mode as Daegu cases surge   10%

South Korea swung into emergency mode as it confirmed 104 more cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday, doubling its total number of patients in one day to 208 and making it the most infected country behind China and Japan.It also reported a second casualty, a 54-year-old woman who died after being moved from Daegu to Busan for treatment, following the death of a man in his 60s on Thursday.Three of the new cases involve a navy sailor, army officer and air force officer who were the first…

'Go back to school and look at the map!' Twitterati hammer CNN as it draws non-existent SHARED border between Germany & Italy   -7%

CNN has failed a basic geography test, putting Germany much closer to Italy than it actually is, during a report on how the EU is combatting the novel coronavirus. Netizens showed no mercy to the network's online team.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Coronavirus Cases Surge Outside Of China   6%

The coronavirus outbreak that has been focused primarily in China has recently erupted in several other parts of the world.

No mahjong, no card games: Hubei province in full lockdown as China battles coronavirus   -2%

Hubei province, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, announced Sunday that it will impose tough new travel restrictions on all residents in the province to stop the spread of the disease.Under the new rules, all businesses will close and the province’s 58 million people will not be able to leave their residential community or village.No vehicles or visitors should be allowed into any residential community or villages unless “necessary”.Hubei has also banned all vehicles from the…

Coronavirus: Princess Cruises boss under fire for blowing kisses at ship where two have died and 3,000 have been quarantined for weeks   20%

Japanese health officials confirmed two virus-related deaths on cruise liner where hundreds exposed to outbreak

Coronavirus cuts Chinas greenhouse gas emissions by a quarter  

Experts say the drop not permanent but outbreak highlights how 'vulnerable' society is

Japanese data on cruise ship coronavirus infections backs quarantine strategy   22%

Newly released data from a Japanese research institute appears to back the government's case that its quarantine strategy for the Diamond Princess cruise ship was successful in stemming contagion of the coronavirus among passengers.

Iraq expands travel ban, suspends schools due to coronavirus  

Iraq indefinitely extended an entry ban on travelers from China and Iran and instituted similar bans on travelers from Thailand, South Korean, Japan, Italy and Singapore, the health ministry said on

Coronavirus Cases Spike In South Korea; WHO Keeps Eye On Africa, Iran, Italy   10%

The tally of new cases is declining in China, the heart of the outbreak. But rising numbers beyond its borders have officials worried, including for regions that have scarcely seen the virus so far.

Coronavirus tightly contained in US: White House economic adviser   6%

US public health officials are preparing for any eventuality regarding the impact of coronavirus in the United States, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Tuesday, adding that the virus

Rush Limbaugh: coronavirus a 'common cold' being 'weaponised' against Trump   -24%

• Rightwing shock jock rails at ‘effort to bring down Trump’
• More than 2,700 people have died from virus worldwide

The coronavirus outbreak is being “weaponised” by the media to bring down Donald Trump when in fact it is simply a version of the “common cold”, the conservative radio host and presidential medal of freedom recipient Rush Limbaugh claimed on Monday.

Related: What is coronavirus and what should I do if I have symptoms?

Coronavirus: Which countries have confirmed cases?  

Cases of the virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, have been reported around the world.

Hong Kong stocks clobbered as fears grow about global spread of coronavirus   35%

Welcome to a fresh week, traders! The coronavirus is spreading in Italy and South Korea, raising alarms. That hurt sentiment in Hong Kong and mainland markets. Catch up on the day's action below.  And if you would like the Live Stocks Blog emailed to you each morning, click here.  -- Iris Ouyang, Kathleen Magramo and Deb Price in Hong Kong  Note: Information in this blog is on an "as is" basis and not a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any securities or otherwise; and is not investment…

Coronavirus: Wuhan to quarantine all cured patients for 14 days after some test positive again  

The authorities in Wuhan on Saturday introduced 14 days’ mandatory quarantine for recovered coronavirus patients, after some discharged patients again tested positive.From Saturday, all patients who had recovered and been discharged had to be sent to designated places for two weeks of quarantine and medical observation, the city’s coronavirus treatment and control command centre said on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter.Wuhan and the rest of Hubei province, of which it is the capital, have…

Tokyo 2020 hits back at inappropriate claims London could host next Olympics due to coronavirus   -10%

Multiple sporting events in Asia have been postponed or cancelled due to the outbreak that has already killed more than 2,200 people